A 7-year-old Arlington boy died this week after contracting a
rare infection while swimming in a river during a family trip.

Kyle Lewis and his family went swimming last week in the Paluxy
River at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. Three days later,
he died from a brain-wasting disease caused by an amoeba known as
Naegleria fowleri. Kyle Lewis

"Why it took him, I don't know," his father, Jeremy Lewis, said
today. "Why it took a 7-year-old boy and not a 34-year-old man, I
don't know."

Lewis said it was a hot day when the family went to the park. He
and Kyle's big sister were swimming beside the boy with Kyle's
cousins and uncle swimming nearby. But only Kyle contracted the
bacteria.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
deadly amoeba breeds in warm, still to low-current waters. The
amoeba enters the nose and makes its way to the spinal cord, before
destroying brain tissue.

Initial symptoms include severe headaches, vomiting and high
fevers. The patient later exhibits confusion, lack of balance and
seizures. It generally causes death within a week of exposure.

It was less than that for Kyle. He came to his father with
complaints of headaches Thursday evening. By 5:30 a.m. Sunday, he
was gone. The doctors diagnosed the disease at 4:45 that
morning.

Those who knew Kyle knew him for his love of baseball and the
joy he so naturally brought to people.

"My assistant coach said if it was cloudy, all Kyle had to do
was smile and the sun would come out," Lewis said.

But Lewis said it was Kyle's 10-year-old sister, Peyton, whom
the baseball star brought the most joy.

"She was his hero, her best friend, her worst friend - he was
everything to her and she was everything to him," he said.

The disease Kyle contracted is extremely rare: The CDC states
that from 1998-2007, there were 33 reports in the U.S. The last
case in Texas was reported in Lee County in 2005. It's almost
always fatal.

While Lewis says he's more protective of Kyle's sister, he
refuses to "keep her in a bubble" - and he advises other parents to
do the same.

"Let them live life to the fullest," he said, "but make sure
they're safe in doing so."

A funeral service for Kyle will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday. at Rush
Creek Baptist Church, 2350 S.W. Green Oaks Blvd. SAFETY TIPS

While the risk of infection from Naegleria fowleri is low, the
amoeba are more prevalent in Southern states during the summer.
Here are some tips to avoid the bacteria: